Quinnipiac has released a new poll today testing the 2010 waters in Florida, and their numbers confirm what we’ve known for a long time: GOP Sen. Mel Martinez is in rough shape as his first term expires.
Only 36% believe that Martinez deserves to be re-elected, while 38% of voters say he does not. In a match-up against “the Democratic candidate”, Martinez only pulls in 36% of the vote to the Democrat’s 40%. His favorable rating is similarly lackluster: 31-28, with a plurality (37%) saying they haven’t heard enough to form an opinion of the man. Quinnipiac’s Peter Brown calls these numbers “not awful”, but that’s only true by perhaps a hair’s width of difference. They’re certainly not numbers that provide an incumbent with a sense of comfort two years out from his first re-election.
Of course, an opportunity like this one will only pan out if Dems can recruit a solid candidate — for my money, I think I’ll take state CFO Alex Sink. Sink has the highest name recognition and favorable rating of all the potential Senate candidates tested in this poll (Reps. Allen Boyd, Kendrick Meek, and state Senator-elect Dan Gelber being the others), but there are numerous other options available on the table right now.
Why couldn’t they have done head to heads?
Sink is by far the best candidate if she runs for anything. If not I think our strongest candidate would be Ron Klein followed by Kathy Castor.
2014, and either Ron Klein or Kathy Castor for for Senate. Castor preferabley, because she comes from a more Republican area, (Pinellas and Hillsborough), while Broward and Miami-Dade are soldily Democratic.
No he’s not too liberal to win statewide. His impressive record of accomplishment makes it ok for him to be that liberal. And since Martinez sucks, and he’s unpopular, now is the best time to run a liberal Dem statewide.
Alan Grayson has got to be our best incoming Congressman. If he delivers what he promised, a hard-hitting investigation against military contractors, then we should immediately promote him to the Senate so he can have more power, and give him Lieberman’s chairmanship.